1. 2008 draftee P Cole Abbott has been cleared to pitch on August 17. I asked him if it would be for the GCL Mets: "Yes, I'll just pitch down here in the GCL, I'm sure. I'll only get in like 3 games, mainly getting ready for spring next year." Write this name down folks. Abbott was a late round draft pick a year ago, only because most teams considered him unsignable. He was originally projected as a high round pick.

2. My sources told me that the Mets turned down C Victor Martinez for P Jenry Mejia and P Brad Holt. I’m surprised they would do that. Martinez is 30-yrs old, is hitting .284/.368/.464/.832, with 15 home runs and 67 RBIs.

3. RP Bobby Gagg is working his way through the system post haste. He made three appearances for the GCL team (0.00), then five for K-Port (1.80). Now, he’s pitching for Brooklyn (2.0-IP, 0.00). At this rate, he’ll be in the Hall of Fame by mid-August.

4. Look, if nothing happens in the next 18 hours, and with Brian Schneider coming up lame again, could it really hurt to have Josh Thole back up Omir Santos for the rest of the year? There’s no rushing here, just experience, that’s all. Brian won’t be back, Omar isn’t enough, and we might as well get a good look at Josh before the off-season FA market.

5. It’s sort of getting obvious that SP Angel Calero is not going to make the conversion from A to A+ ball… now 1-8, with a 4.75 ERA

7. Well, the trade deadline has come and gone and there are no new Mets today. That’s fine with me. Sometimes, the best deal is the one you don’t make and I’d be curious to know who the Mets offered for 1B Adam LaRoche. There was little chance of getting any top pitcher. The simply truth is the Mets are currently light in AAA/AA prospects, and what they do have, many are on the DL. I am happy with the upgrade in RF, though it’s still debatable if the Mets consider Frenchie a long term investment.

7/07 fr. http://www.projectprospect.com/: the University of Alabama should have the most talented left side of infield in college next year as SS Josh Rutledge and 3B Ross Wilson both have solid tools with decent power potential.

7-23: stats thru 7-15 in Cape Cod League: .388, 7-RBI… starting in Cape Cod All-Star game7-25 fr. http://www.baseballamerica.com/: - The fans and dozens of scouts were treated to strong pitching and a two-hit, two-RBI day by Cotuit third baseman Zack Cox (Arkansas), who was named the game's offensive MVP for the victorious West squad. "What you saw tonight is Zack Cox: Most of his hits are up the middle or the other way," said Roberts, who coaches Cox at Cotuit. "If he has one thing he'd like to do better down the road it's on certain pitches he'd like to turn on them better. But he's what I'd call a country Enos Slaughter. He's a country slasher, and he understands hitting."

4. Victor Sanchez – San Diego – was drafted 25th by Cubs in 2007… lots of raw power… 12 HRs as freshman… injured most of sophomore year… shortstop in high school…7-21: Fr. http://baseballdraftreport.com/: - My favorite of that group (of 3Bmen) and minor sleeper come draft day is Victor Sanchez from California.

5. Derek Dietrich - Georgia Tech

6. Nick Castellanos - Archbishop McCarthy HS, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – 6-4, 205 –From: http://www.baseballfactory.com/: - One of the top hitters in the 2010 class, Castellanos generates plus bat speed and has legitmate home run power to all fields. He has a tall, broad-shouldered frame similar to Scott Rolen and makes all the plays at 3B with ease. He projects as a middle-of-the-order hitter at any level. We have seen a lot of Nick as he has attended an Under Armour National Tryout, Dodgertown World Series and played in an Under Armour SE Tournament. He also plays for UA Franchise Team, the All-American Prospects. He has verbally committed to the University of Miami.

With rumors swirling of a Scott Kazmir reunion with the Mets, the question I ask is how long would he be in the starting rotation in Flushing? Could the Mets convert him into an overpriced set up man? With questions about his durability coming true (the reason why he was traded to begin with), might the Mets be thinking of this scenario? Might be a chicken before the egg conversation, but an interesting conversation nonetheless.

No whispers. No secrets. No text messages sent silently.Rumors swirled around the Pawtucket Red Sox when they arrived Thursday morning at Coca-Cola Field, where they lost to the Buffalo Bisons, 4-1, before an announced paid crowd of 10,368. Box score The Internet rumor mill was alive with reports that young PawSox pitcher Michael Bowden would be included in a trade by the parent Boston Red Sox — either to Toronto for pitcher Roy Halladay or to Cleveland for switch-hitting catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez — before today's 4 p.m. trading deadline.Bowden and his teammates were getting a few laughs from all the frenzy."We're having fun with it," said the 22-year-old Bowden, who turned in an impressive seven- inning performance despite the Pawtucket loss. "I was a few minutes late getting here today and Javey Lopez (PawSox pitcher) told everybody I wasn't there because I was scratched. See you laterhttp://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bisons/story/749331.html

Ike Davis extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a two-run home run that helped lead the Binghamton Mets to a 5-1 victory over the Altoona Curve in the second game of an Eastern League doubleheader on Thursday night at Blair County Stadium.Davis also had a single in the B-Mets' 2-1 loss to the Curve in the first game.Davis, who had three RBIs on the day, has five home runs and 11 RBIs during his hitting streak. His 14-game hitting streak is tied for the second longest on the team this season. Lucas Duda hit in an Eastern League-best 19 consecutive games earlier this month. Jose Coronado had his 14-game hitting streak snapped in the second game of the doubleheader.In Thursday's nightcap, the B-Mets trailed, 1-0, heading into the fifth inning when they rallied. Jonathan Malo's double scored D.J. Wabick to tie the game, and Ruben Tejada's single scored Malo and gave the B-Mets the lead.

The Brooklyn Cyclones (27-14) lost the first game, but rebounded to win the second, as they split Thursday's doubleheader with the Staten Island Yankees (22-19).Box ScoreGAME 1The first game of the doubleheader got off to an unusual start as Staten Island scored four times in the top of the first inning, and Brooklyn answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame. The first inning saw the Cyclones make one error, and the Yankees make two. A potential third error in what was ruled an out resulted in Cyclones manager Pedro Lopez being ejected on the controversial play. Starting pitcher Darin Gorski allowed four runs in the first inning, and five more runs in the second -- including another controversial home run that the Cyclones argued was a foul ball. In his two innings of work, Gorski allowed eight hits, nine runs, five earned, one walk, and struck out one batter.RHP Samuel Martinez pitched three innings in relief of Gorski, and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits, walking one and striking out five batters.The newest Cyclone, RHP Bobby Gagg -- who joined the team today -- started the sixth inning in relief of Martinez. Over two innings he allowed no runs on one hit, walked one and struck out one.The Cyclones scored three runs on five hits. CF Justin Garber, 1B Sam Honeck, LF Nick Santomauro, RF Luis Rivera and 3B Tyler Vaughn had one base hit apiece. Vaughn's hit was an RBI double in the first inning. Box Score

Carlos Beltran (8/15)Carlos Beltran is coming back. That was always the plan, but how he's going about it speaks a lot to where he might be in the future. Beltran has decided to accelerate the pace of his rehab, hoping to come back towards mid-August, matching up closely with Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, and Billy Wagner. That's an infusion of talent no team will be able to match with trades, but it might also be too little, too late as the Mets continue to slip. Beltran made the informed decision based on the near certainty that he will need microfracture surgery and could miss much, if not all, of the 2010 season. He'll do everything he can to avoid it, but that's the worst case scenario and he's willing to give it a go. His success will be based on pain tolerance and management, as well as Jerry Manuel's ability to spot him in and out. It's unlikely he can play CF, though no one has said much about where he will actually play. It's a calculated risk that Beltran and the Mets are taking. Given the success - or lack thereof - with microfracture in MLB, it's a big risk and perhaps Beltran's last hurrah.

The B-Mets overcame an early 1-0 deficit in Game 2 of their doubleheader at Blair Country Ballpark to win 5-1 despite rainy conditions in Altoona. The win came after Binghamton had fallen 2-1 in the first game of the series. Thanks to single hits in both games, including a homer in the second contest, Ike Davis extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Binghamton (40-63) struck first in Game 1 against lefty Daniel Moskos. With the bases loaded and two out in the second inning, Moskos walked Davis with the bases full to bring home pitcher Eric Niesen, making it 1-0.

Altoona (42-64) came back to tie in the third frame when Miguel Perez scored on a Gorky’s Hernandez fielder’s choice to first. Perez had doubled to open the frame off Niesen.

In the fifth, the Curve took the lead for good after Niesen walked the leadoff hitter Jason Delaney. The next hitter Ray Chang hit a sacrifice bunt to first that was botched by Davis and Niesen allowing Chang to reach and Delaney to move up to third. With runners at the corners, Perez scored Delaney with a sac fly to center, putting Altoona ahead 2-1.

Despite walking five men, Moskos picked up the win with five innings of one-run work. Jean Machi was credited with his sixth save for tossing a scoreless seventh inning.

In contrast to the first game, Altoona got on the board first against starter Mike Antonini, who was making his first start since July 3. Miles Durham got things going with one out with a clean single. Jonel Pacheco followed with a sharp groundball that appeared to be a double-play ball. However, it went through the legs of second baseman Jose Coronado, allowing Pacheco to reach and Durham to chug around to third. Pedro Lopez capitalized on the situation with an RBI single through the left side of the infield to put the Curve in front 1-0.

Binghamton took the lead for good with two runs in the fifth off starter Kyle Bloom. After D.J. Wabick was hit by a pitch, Jonathan Malo delivered an RBI double to the right-centerfield gap scoring Wabick. A fielding error on the play moved Malo to third and Ruben Tejada would later drive him in with a single, making it 2-1.

Davis supplied insurance in the sixth with a two-run homer to right off reliever Sean Smith, his eighth with the B-Mets. Lucas Duda would make it a 5-1 lead with a solo shot of his own later on in the frame. It was Duda’s ninth long ball of the year.

Antonini fired four innings allowing only an unearned run on four hits. Eric Brown followed him with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to end his eight-game losing streak. Connor Robertson sealed up the victory by getting Brian Friday, the tying run, to ground out to short with the bases full. Robertson is now seven for seven in save chances.

On April 12th, Evans made the Herd walk-off winners against the Red Sox, hitting a two-run blast to end the game in the 15th inning.

The Bisons opened the scoring in the first when Mike Lamb doubled on a ball to deep right field plating Argenis Reyes, giving the Herd the 1-0 edge. With Lamb's RBI, Buffalo continued its trend of striking early. The Bisons have now tallied 48 runs in the first frame in 2009, more than any other inning. Buffalo is now 29-20 when getting on the board first.

The last time Lance Broadway pitched at home, he delivered one of the season's top pitching performances. The righty pitched a nine-inning complete game on July 8th against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, allowing just one run on seven hits. On Thursday, Broadway cruised for seven innings before giving up the game-tying run in the 8th. The veteran tossed 7.1 innings, giving up one run on nine hits and striking out four in the no-decision.

Pawtucket starter Michael Bowden delivered a quality outing for the Red Sox in the no-decision. The 22 year-old pitched seven innings, yielding one run on six hits and striking out six. Baseball America ranked the righty as the No. 2 overall prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization and the No. 1 pitching prospect. Bowden was an integral piece of a proposed trade to the Toronto Blue Jays for all-star starting pitcher Roy Halladay.

Thursday's contest featured another close, low-scoring affair between the two clubs. In 13 games played this season, 11 of those games have been decided by three runs or less, and 9 by two runs or less.

The Herd now commands the 7-6 season-series lead over Pawtucket, outscoring the Red Sox by a 37-33 margin in 2009.

Coming into Thursday's contest the Red Sox pitching had kept the Bisons bats relatively cool all season. Over the first 12 games against Buffalo this season, the Pawtucket pitching staff complied a 1.99 ERA, holding Buffalo batters to a .185 average. The Red Sox, however, are hitting just .195 themselves in those games, scoring only 2.7 runs per contest.

Tim McNab picked up the victory for the Herd, turning in 1.1 innings of shutout relief, improving his record to 5-2 on the year.

1. It’s interesting to see that P Mike Antonini has been resurrected from the pen and has been put back into the Binghamton rotation. He starts Thursday night. The B-Met rotation is currently at a 5-year low in high-ERA. I emailed Mike to confirm that he is back in the rotation, and he answered: “yes”. Now, that was an interview!

2. Savannah got hit pretty good on Wednesday, 13-2. SP Eric Beaulac gave up four runs in five innings, but none were earned due to a wild pitch and two more errors by “E-5”. The only highlight of the game was sean Ratliff’s 13th home run of the season.

3. One of the Mets DSL pitchers is named Lefty Febrillet. No, “lefty” isn’t his nickname, it’s his real first name. He pitched three innings last night, which included two wild pitches, but that’s not the story. In a Mets season that sometimes makes no sense, Lefty… is a right handed pitcher.

4. St. Lucie reinstated OF Richard Pena and C Julio Rivera from the DL… they placed P Jimmy Johnson on the DL and sent C Rafael Arroyo to Buffalo.

5. C Mike Nickeas was placed on Binghamton DL, with a right elbow strain.

6. Word I’m getting is the Mets are back to being buyers before the trade deadline and are attempting to put together a package for C Victor Martinez.

7. 1B Nick Evans hit his 5th AAA home run Thursday, in Buffalo’s 4-1 victory. It was a 3-runner and eventually won the game. Larry Broadway pitched well (7.1-IP, 1-R), but Tim McNab got the victory.

8. GCL Met prospect, OF Javier Rodriquez, hit his 2nd professional home run today, also a three-runner. His BA is now up to .250, with a .432 SLG…

For the second straight start Brad Holt allowed aseason-high in hits, this time 10 to the Altoona Curve, whotook down the B-Mets 5-2 Tuesday night at Blair County Ballpark.Binghamton took a 1-0 lead on Derek Hankins in thefirst inning thanks to an RBI single from Josh Thole. However,in the bottom of the frame Pedro Alvarez and Miles Durhamhit back-to-back RBI doubles to give the Curve a 2-1 lead.Brian Friday added to the lead with an RBI single in the secondinning. Down 3-1, Binghamton managed a run in thefourth on a throwing error by Friday, which scored Thole fromsecond on a would-be double play. Altoona added runs to theirlead in the fifth and seventh on RBI doubles from Alvarez andFriday. Hankins picked up the win with six innings of two-runwork and Holt was hung with the loss after allowing five runs,four earned, on 10 hits in 6.1 innings. Cory Hamman pickedup his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth. JoseCoronado was 2-4 with a run scored as the leadoff hitter toextend his hitting streak to a season-best 13 games.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP

GAME 1: LHP Eric Niesen willtake the ball for Binghamton in his ninth start. Last time out,he worked four scoreless innings against Connecticut beforeallowing six runs in the fifth inning to take the loss. Niesenwalked a season-high five men in the start and gave up agrand slam to Defenders’ starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner.He is 1-5 with a 7.36 ERA in 36.2 innings with 24 walksand 40 strikeouts. He opened 2009 with St. Lucie (High-A)and was 3-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 57.2 innings. Last season,Niesen appeared in 26 games for St. Lucie, including 24starts, and totaled a 6-12 record with a 4.64 ERA in 118.1innings. He was the Mets’ third-round choice in 2007 out ofWake Forest.

LHP Daniel Moskos is slated to make his 20th start of theyear tonight. His three-game winning streak came to an endJuly 24 at Akron when he allowed just two runs in six inningsto take the loss in Altoona’s 2-1 shortcoming at Canal Park.He is 7-8 with a 3.90 ERA in 108.1 innings. 2008 was a roughyear for Moskos as a member of Lynchburg’s (High-A) rotation.He went 7-7 with a 5.95 ERA in 110.1 innings. The 83 runs heallowed were the fifth-most in the Carolina League. Moskoswas the Pirates first-round choice, fourth overall, in the 2007draft out of Clemson.

ROBERTSON ROLLING:

Righty Connor Robertson has recordeda win or a save in each of his last seven appearances, includinghis win last night. Since July 9, when Robertson saved theB-Mets win over Portland, he is 2-0 with five saves and an ERAof 2.89 in 9.1 innings. He struggled with Buffalo (AAA) at theoutset of 2009 going 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA in 28 innings.

1. Christian Colon – Cal State Fullerton – excellent defense… only 11 errors as a sophomore… projects out as catcher… handles the bat well… could be best infielder in the draft… toolsy… led the 2008 US National team with 26 hits… hits to all fields… excellent defensive player with strong arm, great hands, and incredible range… excellent power for middle fielder… great bat speed… walked only 7.8% in 2009… drafted in the 10th round in 2007 by the Padres… freshman All-American… hit .352 as sophomore… projected as second baseman.

7/07 fr. http://www.projectprospect.com/: Colon was very highly thought of out of high school, winning the MVP of the Aflac All-American game in 2007, but slid to the 10th round due to a mediocre spring and a strong commitment to the baseball factory in Fullerton. A full-time starter from the day he set foot on campus, Colon managed a .357/.442/.529 line in 2009 with 26 of his 91 hits going for extra bases. Colon shows great contact ability, only whiffing 8.0% of the time last year. Defensively he has a strong arm, solid range and outstanding instincts. Colon has always been seen as a very smart player who maximizes his abilities. While he doesn’t have the raw tools of a Grant Green or Brandon Crawford, Colon looks like a very solid bet to be an average big leaguer.

7/08: Colon became the new USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) record holder for stolen bases in a game after he tallied four.

7-09: Fr. Keith Law/ http://www.espn.com/ : His speed is suspect and that's usually a red flag for playing shortstop, but Law insists that he can play the position at the pro level.7-13: As of July 13, hitting .400 with a pair of homers and 27 RBIs.

7-14: hit a three-run home run in the fourth to lead Team USA to an 8-4 victory over Japan in game three of the 37th Annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championships. Also, hit a three-run HR.

7-20: homered in the first inning , scored on a wild pitch in the 8th, and doubled in the 9th, for Team USA win over Team Canada

7-21: 2010 MLB Mock Draft - 2nd Edition - July 21, 2009 by Scouting The Sports http://scoutingthesports.com/?p=3632 - 7. Pittsburgh Pirates - Christian Colon Shortstop Cal State Fullerton - -Even with a deeper class, Colon has all the tools to be the best infielder in 2010. Colon, who participated on the 2008 US National Team and led the team with 26 hits, has incredible bat control and great speed. He hits the ball to all fields and has shown some flashes of power that could develop once he begins to inch closer to the major league level. Colon is the best defender in this class, as he has incredible range, great hands, and a strong arm.

7-23: hit 2-run home run for Team USA in 10-2 win over Team Prince George Axemen

7-24: Colon broke both his tibia and fibula, on his left leg, during a game he played for Team USA against Team Canada. He is expected to be out from 2-3 months.

2. Yorby Cabrera – Lakeland HS (FL) – father Tigers’ minor league coach… also a pitcher but projected as a third baseman… FB 94 range… pro arm in the field…

3. Kaleb Cowart – Cook County HS (GA.) – excellent pitcher but wants to be an every day player… very athletic… swings bat well… good hands… may project out at third…

4. Rick Hague – (up from 5th) - Rice – junior… 6-2, 190, R/R… excellent fielder and capable hitter… great attitude and team player… from the Rice web site: Wayne Graham said -- "We view Ricky Hague as one of the top shortstops in college baseball and expect him to be one of the better hitters around. We expect big things both in the field and with the bat."

7/07 fr. http://www.projectprospect.com/: SS’s Derek Dietrich of Georgia Tech and Rice’s Rick Hague have big time problems making contact, Hague is the only sure bet to stick at short, where he is very, VERY good….

7-23: went 3-4 for Team USA (HR) in 10-2 win against Prince George Axemen

5. Josh Rutledge - Alabama –

7/07 fr. http://www.projectprospect.com/: the University of Alabama should have the most talented left side of infield in college next year as SS Josh Rutledge and 3B Ross Wilson both have solid tools with decent power potential.

7-17: went 2-3, 1-R, 1-RBI for Yarmouth-Dennis of the Cape Cod League

6. Marcus Littlewood - Pineview HS, St. George, Utah –

7. Derek Dietrich – Georgia Tech -

SS’s Derek Dietrich of Georgia Tech and Rice’s Rick Hague have big time problems making contact, Hague is the only sure bet to stick at short, where he is very, VERY good….

***ROSTER MOVE: The Bisons have added C Rafael Arroyo to their roster from St. Lucie (A) today***

TODAY’S GAME:

This afternoon, the Buffalo Bisons face the Pawtucket Red Sox in the third game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The Herd has taken the first two games of the series, 2-1 and 3-0. The Bisons have now won four of their last five games. After tomorrow’s series finale, Buffalo heads to Ohio for an eight-game trip to Toledo and Columbus.

vs. THE RED SOX:

The Bisons have split the first 12 games of their season series with the Red Sox. The Herd has won the last four games against the PawSox, having only allowed two total runs in the recent wins. Buffalo swept a two-game set in Pawtucket, July 9-10 (3-1, 1-0) and leads 2-0 in this four-game series (2-1, 3-0). Last night, the Bisons notched their 100th win against Pawtucket since rejoining the International League in 1998 (100-88)

ON BROADWAY:

RHP Lance Broadway was victorious his last time out. The veteran allowed just three runs in seven innings in a 6-3 victory in Indianapolis on Saturday. The last time he pitched at home, Broadway delivered one of the season’s top pitching performances. The righty pitched a nine-inning complete-game on July 8 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, allowing just one 9th-inning run on seven hits. Broadway is 2-1 with a 3.27ERA in his last 3 starts.

NOTHING TRIVIAL:

LHP Adam Pettyjohn had a great Herd debut last night, collecting the victory with three shutout innings of relief. Nothing new for the southpaw as he led the International League in wins a season ago. Pettyjohn went 15-6 in 28 starts for IL West Division Champion Louisville -a win total that tied a Bats’ franchise record.

THE HITS KEEP COMING:

OF Jesus Feliciano enters today’s game on a six-game hit streak, averaging .360 (9-25) since July 24. The outfielder has been great this month, with a .333 (33-99) average in 25 games. He is now 5th in the league in batting (.312) and 4th in the IL in total hits (108).

LIGHTS OUT:

RHP Adam Bostick had dominating stuff last night, striking out four batters in two shutout innings of relief. It was the first professional save of Bostick’s nine-year career. He has struck out nine batters in his last two outings (5.0IP) and 23 batters in his 22.0 innings pitched this year.

The signing of pitcher Adam Pettyjohn this week and his assignment to the Bisons seemed pretty routine in a season that has seen 57 different players appear in a Buffalo uniform.Pettyjohn made his Buffalo debut Wednesday night against the Pawtucket Red Sox and when he pitches, it's far from routine. You might call each game he pitches a personal triumph.The 32-year-old left-hander came on in the fifth inning in relief of Ken Takahashi and threw three scoreless innings in a 3-0 Bisons victory before 7,598.

Pettyjohn got into difficulty right away, giving up a double to Jeff Natale and a single by Angel Chavez, but then he settled down. He struck out Gil Velazquez and got out of the inning by getting Brian Anderson to ground into a double play.

Another double play, the third of three in the game for the Bisons, and a strikeout got Pettyjohn out of trouble in the sixth. Good fielding plays by Wilson Valdez at short and Jesus Feliciano in center field helped Pettyjohn to a 1-2-3 seventh inning to finish his night's work.

While Robert Carson has been helped by a little luck (FIP is a run higher than his ERA), his one home run allowed in 92 1/3 inning of work, and 63% GB% are dominating statistics. In July, he has also shown the rates one would expect to see out of a top pitching prospect with a K% near 20% and a BB% just over 3%. While not a true top prospect yet, he's well on his way to becoming a top 10 player in the Mets organization and may already be there. As for most young pitchers, Carson needs to become more consistent to harness his potential and a strong third offering will determine whether Carson can become a 200+ inning, back of the rotation bulldog, or two pitch stalwart out of the pen. With a 0.40 ERA versus lefties, he could probably have some success now as a LOOGY.

In each at-bat, Flores worked the count to his favor, and of the 15 pitches he saw in four at-bats, he swung and missed only once, at an 86 mph fastball on the inner half. He fouled off one other pitch, but in every instance he was working ahead of the pitcher—2-1, 3-1, 1-0 and 2-1. In the first inning, Flores lined a 89 mph fastball, middle-in, from righthander Tom Koehler over the center fielder’s head for a double. The defense had been playing him slightly to pull. As Flores fills out his lanky 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame, scouts will be looking for increased power production from the righthanded hitter. "I think learning when he gets his pitch to really attack it will help him (hit for more power)," the scout said. "But now, he just lays the barrel on the ball and throws it in the alley or in front of a outfielder for a single or double. I think as he gets more experience, he’ll learn to really attack it when he gets his pitch. "He’s a big leaguer, I think, but not a shortstop for sure. And the approach has to improve, and he has to develop a lot more power if he’s going to be everyday on a corner." But Flores is a unique case. Not many prospects, not even those from Latin America, compete in full-season minor leagues at age 17-18

The Cyclones lost to the Staten Island Yankees on Wednesday night 3-2 in an unusual extra 8th inning. The game, the first of a doubleheader, was originally scheduled for seven innings. In the sixth inning, play was suspended due to weather for approximately two hours and 27 minutes.LHP Mark Cohoon took the ball for the Cyclones and pitched the first 6.0 innings of the game. Cohoon gave up three runs in a shaky first inning, but settled in and held the Yankees scoreless for the next five frames, giving his team a chance to get back in the game. He surrendered just one hit after the first inning. 3B Tyler Vaughn quickly answered Staten Islands' early start with an RBI single in the bottom of the first, scoring CF Justin Garber, who led off with a double. With the single, Vaughn extended his hit streak to eight consecutive games. In the Cyclones' half of the fourth, SS Robbie Shields heated things up with a lead off triple to the right-center gap, and C Juan Centeno's groundout scored Shields easily as the Cyclones slowly chipped away at Staten Island's lead. In the sixth, a wild pitch scored 2B Luis Nieves, who doubled to right-center. In the top of the seventh, the umpires called for the tarp. When play resumed, the Cyclones' Michael Powers pitched a scoreless inning in relief, but in the extra-inning eighth, LHP Matias Carillo surrendered a lone run that left him with the loss.

7/29/09

A five-run sixth and a four-run seventh helped the Greensboro Grasshoppers pull away from the Sand Gnats Wednesday afternoon en route to a, 13-2, win in the series finale at NewBridge Bank Park. Sean Ratliff did hit another home run for Savannah, his third in two days, to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.

Eric Beaulac (6-6) suffered his sixth loss of the year despite not allowing a earned run. The Sand Gnats committed four errors in the game that led to the four unearned runs to the starter Beaualc. He struck out three batters and allowed four hits in five innings of work.

Ratliff’s 13th homer of the year pulled the Sand Gnats within two in the sixth when he led off the inning with the blast off reliever Brandon Todd. Greensboro then went on to score nine unanswered runs off the Sand Gnats ‘pen. John Church allowed five runs on four hits in the sixth with the big blow being Kevin Mattison’s third home run of the series. In the seventh, Tim Smith allowed the first Sand Gnats grand slam of the season to catcher Torre Langley. It’s the first slam that Savannah has allowed since August 18, 2008 when Tyler Henson of the Delmarva Shorebirds hit one in Delmarva. Josh Satin had his hitting streak snapped at eight games as he was held hitless by Grasshoppers pitching. Brad Hand (5-11) worked five innings for his fifth win of the year for Greensboro (10-22, 47-55).

For the second straight start Brad Holt allowed aseason-high in hits, this time 10 to the Altoona Curve, whotook down the B-Mets 5-2 Tuesday night at Blair County Ballpark.Binghamton took a 1-0 lead on Derek Hankins in thefirst inning thanks to an RBI single from Josh Thole. However,in the bottom of the frame Pedro Alvarez and Miles Durhamhit back-to-back RBI doubles to give the Curve a 2-1 lead.Brian Friday added to the lead with an RBI single in the secondinning. Down 3-1, Binghamton managed a run in thefourth on a throwing error by Friday, which scored Thole fromsecond on a would-be double play. Altoona added runs to theirlead in the fifth and seventh on RBI doubles from Alvarez andFriday. Hankins picked up the win with six innings of two-runwork and Holt was hung with the loss after allowing five runs,four earned, on 10 hits in 6.1 innings. Cory Hamman pickedup his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth. JoseCoronado was 2-4 with a run scored as the leadoff hitter toextend his hitting streak to a season-best 13 games.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP:

LHP Eric Niesen will take theball for Binghamton in his ninth start. Last time out, heworked four scoreless innings against Connecticut beforeallowing six runs in the fifth inning to take the loss. Niesenwalked a season-high five men in the start and gave up agrand slam to Defenders’ starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner.He is 1-5 with a 7.36 ERA in 36.2 innings with 24 walksand 40 strikeouts. He opened 2009 with St. Lucie (High-A)and was 3-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 57.2 innings. Last season,Niesen appeared in 26 games for St. Lucie, including 24starts, and totaled a 6-12 record with a 4.64 ERA in 118.1innings. He was the Mets’ third-round choice in 2007 out ofWake Forest.

LHP Daniel Moskos is slated to make his 20th start of theyear tonight. His three-game winning streak came to an endJuly 24 at Akron when he allowed just two runs in six inningsto take the loss in Altoona’s 2-1 shortcoming at Canal Park.He is 7-8 with a 3.90 ERA in 108.1 innings. 2008 was a roughyear for Moskos as a member of Lynchburg’s (High-A) rotation.He went 7-7 with a 5.95 ERA in 110.1 innings. The 83 runs heallowed were the fifth-most in the Carolina League. Moskoswas the Pirates first-round choice, fourth overall, in the 2007draft out of Clemson.

ROBERTSON ROLLING:

Righty Connor Robertson has recordeda win or a save in each of his last seven appearances, includinghis win last night. Since July 9, when Robertson saved theB-Mets win over Portland, he is 2-0 with five saves and an ERAof 2.89 in 9.1 innings. He struggled with Buffalo (AAA) at theoutset of 2009 going 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA in 28 innings

Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons face the Pawtucket Red Sox in the second game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The Herd struck first in the series with last night’s 2-1 victory. Following the conclusion of this series on Friday, the Bisons return to the road for a pair of four-game series at Toledo and Columbus.

vs. THE RED SOX:

The Bisons are 5-6 against the Pawtucket Red Sox this year. The Herd have now won three in a row against the Red Sox. Tonight, the Bisons look to notch their 100th win against the Pawtucket Red Sox since their return to the International League (99-88, .529 winning pct.).

TAKAHASHI TO START:

LHP Ken Takahashi looks to bounce back today after receiving losses in his previous two starts for the Herd. The southpaw has only allowed seven earned runs in 33 innings of work this season (1.91ERA). Takahashi has appeared twice in relief against Pawtucket this season, allowing one earned run and collecting four strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

WELCOME PETTYJOHN:

The Mets signed LHP Adam Pettyjohn to a minor league contract yesterday and assigned him to the Bisons. Pettyjohn was 1-6 with a 4.68ERA in 18 games and six starts for the Louisville Bats before being released last week. In 2008, the southpaw went 15-6 with a 4.59ERA and 95 strikeouts in 28 starts for Louisville. His 15 wins led the all International League pitchers and tied a Louisville franchise record last season.

THE HITS KEEP COMING:

OF Jesus Feliciano collected another hit last night (1-3) and notched one more RBI. Feliciano has hit .351 (13-37) over the past nine games. His 37RBI on the season leads the Herd, and his batting average (.313) is 4th-highest in the IL. His 107 total hits are 4th most in the IL as well.

FANTASTIC FIGGY:

RHP Nelson Figueroa was outstanding again last night against the Red Sox. Figueroa extended his streak of consecutive quality starts to 10 last night, bringing his season total to 14. The righthander’s team-leading 2.25ERA is the 2nd lowest in the International League. He also leads the Bisons with 94 strikeouts, 112.0 innings pitched and 17 starts.

Pettyjohn was a 2nd rounder who got to the majors in 2001, then was diagnosed with colon cancer. Baseball was put on hold for 2002 and he’s been fighting back ever since. His best years were 2007 in AAA: 12-4, 3.87, in 17 starts, and 2008, also in AAA: 15-6, 4.59, in 28 starts. The Mets are his 8th club.

2. Look, no one enjoys writing about a new Met than I do, and no one in baseball needs another chance more than Pettyjohn, but it’s still kind of pathetic that there wasn’t one single starter ready to be sent up at this point in the year.

3. Seems that C Luis Allen did not go on the DL, as I reported yesterday. Instead, it seems to be C Kai Gronauer who went down… tune in tomorrow to see if I am correct this time.

4. I heard from Adam Rubin tonight and things have calmed down, though I’m not sure it could ever return to normal, or what the hell normal is anymore. The Mets have apologized to Adam and he’s going back to work. I’ve know Adam for almost a year now and we talk/text/email at least once a week. He’s good guy folks would be a worthy replacement someday for a retired Jay Horowitz. How in the hell Omar turned this into a circus, I have no idea.

The Mets have now held three news conferences in 24 hours, the first one Monday afternoon to fire a guy, the second Monday night to say they were sorry to another guy and the third yesterday to say they were really, really sorry for the whole thing.

I still have no idea precisely why they fired the guy, what exactly they were sorry for, and why they felt the need to do it all over again before last night's Mets-Rockies game, which, incidentally, became the Mets' fourth straight victory, their best run since May.

But those questions, truly, are inconsequential compared with the big hanging curveball they left floating over Flushing: Why, exactly, is Omar Minaya still their general manager?

"He's this close to being out of baseball," Jeff Wilpon told me, holding his thumb and forefinger a half-inch apart.

So why is he still in the Mets' front office?

Whatever their actual reason, the Mets had to can Tony Bernazard after a five-year reign of terror that extended from Flushing to Binghamton and back, and whether they were sincere or not, they had no choice but to apologize to Adam Rubin, the Daily News reporter who exposed the Pandora's box that was Bernazard's human resources file.

If you’re a student of Cold War politics, or perhaps just a fan of early R.E.M., Monday’s Omar Minaya press conference announcing the termination of Mets Vice President of Player Development Tony Bernazard might have had a familiar ring to it. The moment came when Minaya deviated from his "I’m not going to get into the details" stance to accuse New York Daily News beat writer Adam Rubin of writing reports on Bernazard’s inappropriate behavior because, "Adam, for the past couple of years, has lobbied for a player development position."In dragging Rubin into the story, Minaya took a few flying leaps of logic into base vindictiveness. Now, it is possible that Rubin erred in asking people he was covering for pointers on how to break into baseball. While it wouldn’t violate journalistic ethics to ask, "How do you get a job in baseball?" It is possible that the question could be misconstrued as "How can you get me a job in baseball?" Though he denied he felt Rubin had an ulterior motive in writing the pieces about Bernazard, Minaya seemed to be implying exactly that.

Rubin, of course, would have had to be mad, completely out of touch with reality, to think that somehow that a series of articles about Bernazard ripping his shirt off in front of a bunch of Double-A players would clear the way for his own hiring by the Mets. That would be a delusional plan worthy of Norma Desmond, with Rubin maniacally plotting like some comic book super-villain.

It’s hard to believe someone like that could function in society well enough to hold their job, but in any case, it is clear that this is not what happened in the Bernazard situation, nor what Minaya really thinks. Consider several other statements he made during the press conference:

The newspaper industry is dying quickly; we all know and acknowledge that. But can’t it at least die with dignity? Of course, to die with dignity you have to have lived with dignity, and not all newspapers and reporters have done that. Many certainly have acted with an absence of professionalism.

Believe it or not, these thoughts in my head stem from baseball. As bad as things have gone for the Mets this season, with more injuries than a rehab center and fewer hits than Tiny Tim, they got worse on Monday.

The Mets fired Tony Bernazard as their executive in charge of player development and bungled their way through a related episode. General manager Omar Minaya raised a serious, relevant issue involving a reporter for the New York Daily News at the Bernazard news conference, then reconvened reporters in the rear of the CitiField press box and apologized for bringing up the issue in the context in which he did. He was right in the first instance, wrong in the second

You, the reader of pressconnects.com, Behind the Plate and the Press & Sun-Bulletin have benefited from Adam Rubin. For the three-plus years I've been covering this beat, Adam has provided me with information from New York on the organization. If something happened in New York that had an impact in Binghamton, Adam would help get me that information. That's the information I passed on to you. He's the only major-league beat writer to make regular appearances at NYSEG Stadium (no slight on the other beat writers, who have work loads that would drown most people, but it's a credit to Adam). When I traveled to Shea Stadium last season to write on the B-Mets with the big-league club, he showed me around, made sure I was in the right place at the right time.

Simply put, Adam Rubin is a writer's writer, a reporter's reporter. The insinuation thrown out by Omar Minaya at his press conference today - that Rubin was angling for a job with the Mets front office, and that's why he wrote all the stories about Tony Bernazard - is insulting to all of us in this business.

Now ...

Bernazard was under fire long before all the stories of his bad behavior started to surface. The Mets' minor-league system has been criticized a lot lately, and this year's been an especially bad year. The first-year of Triple-A ball in Buffalo has been a disaster - people up there want the Mets to leave after next year already. The B-Mets are having one of their worst seasons in team history. Since Bernazard's in charge of the minor-league system, that's on him. Add to that the stories that have come out in the past week, and the Mets really had no other choice.

Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog said it best - how many fans of other teams even know who their vice president for player development is? The fact that Mets fans know Bernazard enough to have an opinion on him is a bad sign

Brad Holt allowed a season-high 10 hits and Pirates top-prospect Pedro Alvarez smacked two doubles and drove in two runs leading to Binghamton’s 5-2 loss at Blair Country Ballpark Tuesday night. Holt allowed five runs, four earned, in 6.1 innings to take his fourth loss of the season with the B-Mets.

Binghamton (39-62) struck for a run in the first inning of starter Derek Hankins. Jose Coronado led off the game with a bloop single to right and was sacrificed up to second on a Ruben Tejada bunt. Josh Thole then grounded a single up the middle scoring Coronado to make it 1-0.

Altoona (41-63) responded with two runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead for good. With two outs, Jose Tabata singled to right to get the rally started. Alvarez followed with a double off the centerfield wall to score Tabata, tying the score. Then, Miles Durham doubled to right-center to bring Alvarez home, giving the Curve a 2-1 lead.

The B-Mets got back within a run in the fourth inning when Thole scored from second on a throwing error by Altoona shortstop Brian Friday, who was attempting to turn a double play. However, 3-2 was as close as Binghamton would get the rest of the way.

Altoona added single runs in the fifth and the seventh courtesy of RBI doubles from Alvarez and Friday to extend the lead to three runs at 5-2.

Hankins threw six innings for the second straight start, allowing two runs on four hits to notch his third win. He was followed by Michael Dubee, who tossed two scoreless frames, and Corey Hamman, who struck out a pair in the ninth to notch his first save.

Coronado extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a 2-4 showing as the leadoff hitter and Ike Davis extended his streak to 12 games with a 1-4 day at the plate.

Sean Ratliff extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a 3-for-4 performance that included two home runs and six RBI as he led the Gnats to a, 11-7, victory over Greensboro Tuesday night. It is the first six RBI game a Sand Gnat this season.

Ratliff’s first home run tied the game at four in the third when he hit a three-run homer to right field with two out. With the Gnats trailing once more in the fifth, the South Atlantic League All-Star capped the inning with his second home run of the game, a two-run shot to right-center that gave Savannah the lead for good at, 7-6.

It’s the first multi-homer game for Ratliff this season. He now has 12 home runs and 60 RBI in 2009, which both lead the team. During his 14-game hitting streak, the 22-year-old is hitting 19-for-51 (.373) with 16 RBIs.

Not to be outdone was Joey August, who continued his hot hitting from last night with a four-hit performance Tuesday evening. August is 6-for-7 with a home run and five singles in the past two games.

All-Star Robert Carson started the game for the Gnats but did not finish the fourth after allowing a leadoff home run to Kevin Mattison. Carson, who hadn’t pitched in over 10 days, allowed five runs on eight hits with three walks but did come away with a no decision. Manny Olivares (2-3) worked three innings and notched the win in relief. Jake Goldberg pitched the final three innings for his first save of the season.

Fellow All-Star Josh Satin also had a good night, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, two walks and a run scored. He extended his hitting streak to eight games and is hitting .500 (15-for-30) during his current run.

7/28/09

After getting rained out Sunday, the B-Mets tookto the field Monday and played the second longest game oftheir season in beating Altoona 10-6 in 10 innings. The contesttook 4 hours and 21 minutes to complete, but it ran Binghamton’sextra-innings record to 9-2. With the game tied atfive, the B-Mets took a 6-5 lead on an RBI single from JoseCoronado in the top of the ninth. However, the lead evaporatedin the bottom of the frame when Connor Robertsonloaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single leading to aGorkys Hernandez sacrifice fly. In the tenth, Binghamton ralliedin a big way with one out. Josh Thole ripped a one-outsingle, his fourth hit of the game, and was followed by an IkeDavis double to put both me in scoring position. After JeanMachi intentionally passed Lucas Duda, D.J. Wabick knockedhis second homer of the year, a grand slam, out to right to putthe B-Mets out in front 10-6. Robertson tossed a scoreless10th to pick up his second win. Wabick was 3-6 with a Binghamton-high 6 RBIs and Thole went 4-5 with a double, hissecond four-hit performance of the season. Starter DylanOwen tossed five scoreless innings at the game’s outset.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP:

LHP Eric Niesen gets the callfor Binghamton tonight for his ninth AA start. He last startedJuly 22 versus Connecticut at home and allowed six runs infive innings. Niesen walked a season-high five men in the loss,but threw four scoreless innings before it unraveled on him inthe fifth frame. He is 1-5 with a 7.36 ERA in 36.2 innings withthe B-Mets. He opened 2009 with St. Lucie (High-A) and was 3-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 57.2 innings. Last season, Niesen appearedin 26 games for St. Lucie, including 24 starts, andtotaled a 6-12 record with a 4.64 ERA in 118.1 innings. Hewas the Mets’ third-round choice in 2007 out of Wake Forest.

RHP Derek Hankins will make his sixth start of the year forAltoona tonight. He began the year in the bullpen and missedabout two months due to injury before moving into the rotationJune 24. He tossed six, scoreless innings July 23 versusReading in his last start to pick up a win. He is 2-3 with a 4.50ERA in 34 innings in 2009. Last year, he was in the Curve’srotation and finished 2-11 with a 4.54 ERA in 119 innings.The 11 losses were second most in the Eastern League.Hankins was drafted in the 10th round of the 2004 draft outof Memphis.

ROBERTSON ROLLING:

Righty Connor Robertson has recordeda win or a save in each of his last seven appearances, includinghis win last night. Since July 9, when Robertson saved theB-Mets win over Portland, he is 2-0 with five saves and an ERAof 2.89 in 9.1 innings. He struggled with Buffalo (AAA) at theoutset of 2009 going 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA in 28 innings

Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons face the Pawtucket Red Sox in the first game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The Herd is coming off a series split against the Indianapolis Indians. Following the conclusion of this series, the Bisons return to the road for a pair of four-game series at Toledo and Columbus. vs.

THE RED SOX:

The Bisons are 4-6 against the Pawtucket Red Sox this year. The Herd swept the last series against the Red Sox in Pawtucket on July 9-10 with victories of 3-1 and 1-0. Last season Buffalo won 10 of 16 games against Pawtucket.

FIGGY ON THE MOUND:

RHP Nelson Figueroa will start for the Herd tonight. The veteran saw his personal six-game win streak come to an end on Thursday in Louisville despite allowing just three runs in seven innings. On the season, Figueroa has thrown 13 quality starts, including a streak of nine consecutive heading into tonight. The righthander’s team-leading 2.42ERA is the 3rd lowest in the International League. He also leads the Bisons with 85 strikeouts, 104.0 innings pitched and 16 starts.

WELCOME PETTYJOHN:

The Mets have signed LHP Adam Pettyjohn to a minor league contract and assigned him to the Bisons. Pettyjohn was 1-6 with a 4.68ERA in 18 games and six starts for the Louisville Bats before being released last week. In 2008, the southpaw went 15-6 with a 4.59ERA and 95 strikeouts in 28 starts for Louisville. His 15 wins led the all International League pitchers and tied a Louisville franchise record. last season.

HIT STREAKIN:

INF/OF Nick Evans collected a hit in all eight games of the Bisons’ roadtrip. Since July 20, the slugger has averaged .281 (9-32). Six of the eight hits went for extra bases (4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run). Since returning to the Bisons on July 11, Evans has averaged .260 (13-50) with four doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI.

His actions were laughable most of the time, but downright egregious on many occassions. A big deal has been made about his shirtless locker room tirade and infantile temper tantrum behind home plate. Personally, I think his history of overt preferential treatment towards Latin American players and overall unprofessional manner in which he handled himself did alot more damage to the Mets franchise than his most recent misgivings. Needless to say, dozens of minor leaguers (and a handful of big leaguers if what I've read is true) have a little spring in their step today now that Tony is gone.---------------------------------------------------------------

I read Mack's snippet on Josh Appell and just wanted to pass on my congratulations to Josh for making the transition from baseball to the "real world" as seamlessly as he has. An Ivy-Leaguer with a nasty slider and great work ethic, Josh was a great teammate and damn fine ballplayer and I'm happy to see that his success in life has transcended sport. All the best Josh---------------------------------------------------------------

I got an email from Wally Murphy who wanted to know about Minor Leaguers' preference for bats, specifically how a player chose what to use and what was available to us through the Mets Equipment managers.Wally, when I was playing, the Mets had contracts with Louisville Slugger and BWP, and we had a choice of all different sizes and models, ranging from 33 - 34 inches in length and usually between a 2 and 3 ounce differential in weight. All the most popular models (C271, C243, R161, etc) in maple and in ash were available and I'll give credit to the Mets Clubhouse staff because wood was always something we had access to. I've heard horror stories about former teammates in the Tigers, Royals, and Devil Rays organization who told me getting new lumber was like pulling teeth, and you had to prove that the bats were broken in a game situation to be allowed to have a new one. The Mets were much more liberal and we could swap lumber in and out as we needed. This didn't stop us clever vets from pulling out the old stool trick (placing a bat handle on the club house stool and snapping the bat in order to obtain a fresh one) to get what we needed. Gear was always one of the perks of playing in a big market franchise.

That's just what the organization provided for us, but since alot of the wood we got wasn't top quality, most players would establish equipment contracts through their agents to get better quality wood. Old Hickory, Marucci and Max Bats were personal favorites of alot of my teammates because of how solid the maple was. A shout out to Carlos Guzman and DJ Wabick who always had the sickest maples around. Purists will stick with the Ash bats, but it always seemed like the ball jumped a little harder off of the maple bats and in my final years, the trend towards maple was in full swing.

The best time of year to stock up on lumber was definitely spring training because the minor league clubhouse in St. Lucie had all the leftovers from what the big leaguers didn't take up north. Slipping past the watchful eye of Kevin Kierst, the Mets equipment manager down in Florida, to snag a souvenir for the family back home was a common practice amongst us Extended Camp indentured servants. I still have my Paul LoDuca and Cliff Floyd pro grade maples hanging up on the wall of my new home

Thanks for the question Wally---------------------------------------------------------------

The New York Mets today announced that they have signed LHP Adam Pettyjohn to a minor league contract and assigned him to the Buffalo Bisons. He has been activated to the team’s roster today.

Pettyjohn, 32, began the year with Louisville (AAA) before being released by the Cincinnati Reds on July 24. This year, the southpaw was 1-6 with a 4.68ERA in 50.0 innings of work for the Bats.In 2008, Pettyjohn led all International League pitchers with 15 wins. That total matched a Louisville franchise record. Overall. Pettyjohn was 15-6 with a 4.59ERA and 95 strikeouts in 28 starts with the Bats (174.1IP, 188H, 97R, 89ER, 43BB). He earned a big league promotion at the end of the year and went 0-1 with a 20.25ERA in 4.0 innings (3 games) with the Reds.

This is the first of a three-part story on Reds lefthander Adam Pettyjohn (To read part 2, click here). Pettyjohn made his major league debut with the Tigers in 2001, then waited seven years to step back on a big league mound. In years between, he had his colon removed and nearly lost his life.

Team: Double-A Binghamton (Eastern)Age: 22Why He's Here: .385/.467/.692 (10-for-26), 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 RBIs, 6 R, 4 BB, 4 SOThe Scoop: Davis has clubbed more home runs this season (12) and compiled a higher slugging percentage (.486) than any of the other four first-round first basemen from the '08 draft. That's a group that includes Yonder Alonso, Justin Smoak, David Cooper and Allan Dykstra. To be fair, Smoak began the year in Double-A and has moved up to Triple-A, unlike Davis who started in high Class A, but then Smoak has enjoyed much friendlier hitting environments along the way.

True to form, Kingsport blew an early four-run lead only to battle to the bitter end with tying and go-ahead runs stranded in scoring position at the last out.

The K-Mets (10-23) banged out 10 hits, with Alonzo Harris going 2-for-4, R.J. Harris going 2-for-5 with a dinger and an RBI, and Richard Lucas getting a double.

http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9015570

Queens:

Jose Reyes (8/10)Gary Sheffield (8/4)Carlos Beltran (8/20)Another change I considered, but decided against for now, was changing this column to "Under The Mets." It's probably not a good long-term decision, since the team that's perceived as being the most injury-prone changes from year to year. Call it luck if you want, but I'll keep looking for the real reason. Anyway, the Mets are getting a bit of good news with Reyes, who has only one hurdle to clear before he's ready to start playing in games: running the bases at full speed. The turns on the bases are the hardest element of this, and of course the most sport-specific, testing the hamstrings and knees with their unbalanced and often awkward steps around the diamond's 360 feet. Reyes is expected to do this "any day now," and then move quickly into rehab games. Sources tell me that there's a bit of a debate as to how to handle it from there. There are some who want to give Reyes a week's worth of rehab games to make sure that there's no problem, while the others wants to get him back to New York quickly.

The story on Sheffield is a bit more confusing. After a week of not being able to play, Sheffield had a good workout on Friday, but the Mets then made the decision on Saturday to DL him. Stories came out that Sheffield was frustrated to the point of asking for a trade, but the simple fact is that this was a roster decision. "Cautious" is the word that the Mets used in describing the retroactive move, but this is really about needing a pitcher now, and wanting to have Sheffield at 100 percent. Add in the slight progress that Carlos Beltran is making, and the middle of August is going to be huge for the Mets in terms of reinforcing their roster. The question now is whether mid-August is going to be too late as the team slides, since they're already 7½ back in the wild-card hunt. I'm getting reports that Beltran will shift from his non-weight-bearing work soon, so that the team can then figure out if he'll be back. I'm told that mid-August is when the team expects to know more, but I think they're going to be willing to see how Reyes' return affects the team before even considering shutting down Beltran.

No. 9 DEOLIS GUERRA, RHPTWINSTeam: Double-A New Britain (Eastern)Age: 20Why He's Here: 2-0, 2.03, 13 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 15 SOThe Scoop: After spending parts of four long, tumultuous seasons in the high Class A Florida State League, Guerra was finally given a shot at Double-A in early July. It feels like he's been around forever, yet he's still young for Double-A at age 20, and he's gone 3-0, 3.52 in his first four starts with New Britain. Guerra has regained some his velocity, which had declined last year as he battled inconsistencies with his delivery after coming over from the Mets in the Johan Santana trade. He struck out 12 over seven shutout innings against Portland Thursday night, and has fanned 23 in 23 innings for the Rock Cats.http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2009/268591.html

“The Mess” is a term my friends call our beloved Mets! A Cardinals fan! A couple Red Sox fans, several Yankee fans and one lonely Tigers fan- all had the opportunity again yesterday to chirp. Omar Minaya’s ridiculous public stunt, that essentially slandered Adam Rubin, is just another opportunity for me to hear my favorite team be called “The Mess”.

When Mack asked me to write an occasional blog for him, I had every intention of trying to keep it positive. However, after the Bernazard strip show and yesterdays Soap Opera, I am going to use this blog to relive The Top 10 Causes Of Met Fan Misery. Some courtesy of Fred and Jeff Wilpon. Granted, they seem like nice people and certainly know the real estate industry. But I sometimes wonder if they should have stayed there. Did I mention I miss Nelson Doubleday?

Let’s face it, since 1986, we as Mets fans have not had a lot to cheer about. Outside of 1988, 1998-2000 and 2006, this team has been filled with lousy moments that I sometimes wonder why I continue to hold out hope for any greatness with this team. Remember these moments Mets fans?

10) Trading David Cone for Jeff Kent & Ryan Thompson- This trade to me was idiotic! Trading an ace for what ended up being an irritable player in Jeff Kent and a bust in Thompson.Sure, Jeff Kent went on to have a nice career, but how much of that was due to having Barry Bonds in the lineup with him? I hated this trade then,and today I still hate it. Cone compiled an 8–3 postseason record over 21 postseason starts and was a part of five World Series championship teams (1992 with the Toronto Blue Jays and 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 with the New York Yankees). He had a career postseason ERA of 3.80. Cone’s 44 should be on the wall at Citifield. He was one of us, not a Yankee or a Blue Jay.

9) The Worst Team Money Can Buy- With Jeff Torborg as stiff as rigomortis, this team won 72 games and showed what the Yankees learned in the 80’s- you can’t build a team through free agency. Did I mention that Daryl Boston was the starting left fielder? Yikes! Wasn’t this the year Mackey Sasser’s OCD kicked in? Poor guy!

8) Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell for Juan Samuel-Samuel was visibly over the hill. While Dykstra and McDowell went on to have magical moments with the hated Phillies. Lesson learned? Don’t trade within the division and don’t trade Dykstra and McDowell for Samuel! My heart sunk back then and it still makes me a bit green under the gills today!

7) Vince Coleman & Anthony Young- Vince Coleman’s throws firecrackers at kids on the SAME DAY that Anthony Young lost his 27th straight game. You can’t make this stuff up!

6) Generation K- Let’s be honest- Dallas Green’s handling of the three messed them up. How can 3 guys that highly touted all end up being busts. Izzy (Jason Isringhausen) had a fair career as a closer. Paul Wilson became a 5th starter after surgery (blame old man Dallas) and I think Bill Pulsipher is still toiling in some obscure minor league stadium somewhere. I blame Dallas for throwing these guys out there on some awful teams. Not the way to ease your young pitchers in. Giving credit where credit is due, the Mets have handled Jon Niese’s development very well. If the Mets had been as patient with Wilson, Pulse and Izzy there is no telling what they could have been.

5) Alomar The Spit- Only the Mets could bring in a first ballot Hall Of Famer (Roberto Alomar) and have his skills erode over the winter. Not to mention, somewhere along the line this future Hall of famer became a maniacal spitter! Fun for the whole family! Come out to Shea with spit shields on your kids!

4) Shawn Estes Misses Roger Clemens- Raise your hand if you are a Mets fan that thinks Roger Clemens is a swell guy! Ok, no hands! Good! Estes missing Clemens is something that could only happen to the Mets. Let’s face it, Shawn Estes throws about as hard as I do in whiffle ball, but just seeing Clemens get plunked for his treatment of Mike Piazza would have been mildly satisfying. Estes misses! Ugh!

3) Pat Burrell & Chipper Jones Met Decimation- Burrell with 42 career home runs against the Mets. Chipper Jones with a lifetime .330 batting average against the Blue & Orange! Both of these players have sent me to bed crabby more times than I care to remember. What other team allows players to hit that many home runs and have that kind of LIFETIME batting average against them? How many teams can claim that an opposing player named a child after their stadium because they clubbed them so bad? The Mets can! Shea Jones! Good times!

2) Two September Collapses In A Row (07 & 08)- I pin this on Omar. Both years the bullpen needed a pick me up. Both years Omar sat on his hands instead of picking up the phone. In 07, I remember thinking the Mets badly needed a starting pitcher and a couple arms in July. Sure enough the team lacked the depth it needed in September to compete. Remember Carlos Muniz being brought in to get critical outs? That is called Willie Randolph’s desperation for outs out of that bullpen. Blame Omar for both years! Even if Billy Wagner hadn’t gotten hurt last year, they still didn’t have anyone else in that bullpen to get outs. Luis Ayala was not the 8th inning answer!

1) The Yankees Celebrate The 2000 World Series Win At Shea- I still remember vividly Derek Jeter doing that obnoxious fist pump! I still maintain that if the Armando Benitez closes out Game 1, it would have been a different series. You just knew when Benitez came in the Yankees knew they had the Mets right where they wanted them. Sure enough, he blows the save and the wind was taken out of the Mets sails. I didn’t sleep that night and have fully loathed the Yankees since.

Now that we have relived just a few horrible moments in Mets history, we can be reminded that we all have lived to watch the Mets another day. Omar’s time will run out very soon, but inevitably more days like yesterday and the days above will shine upon our favorite team again. It is our lot in life to endure snarky comments from friends and family about our favorite team- “The Mess”.